Five by Five
by Dee12
Summary: 25 one shots and drabbles written for the Twilight Twenty-Five. Characters, subjects, and quality may vary.
1. The Cullen Reformation

_The Twilight Twenty-Five_

_Prompt: _**_Aesthetic_**

_Pen name: Dee12_

_Pairing/Characters: Edward/Bella, Alice_

_Rating: T_

_Summary: Edward works up the courage to talk to the beautiful life model in his art class. AH/AU._

_Author's Note: I don't normally write for Twilight, but I came across this challenge on lj and I needed a change of pace. If you happen to read my Pride and Prejudice WIP, no worries, this won't interfere with 20 Months. The M rating is for strong language and adult themes (later on) I don't do sex scenes. Nothing against sex; I love reading about it, watching it, and having it, I'm just shit at writing it. You'll thank me for not putting you through that._

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_**The Cullen Reformation **_

"You love me way too much to leave me hanging, little brother."

It was true, he did. His absolute inability to tell his sister 'no' was responsible for nearly every embarrassing or precarious situation Edward had found himself in since he learned how to talk. This defect was the reason why pictures of him as a five year old pretty, pretty lipsticked princess at a stuffed animal tea party existed. It allowed him to be talked into jumping out of their tree house at eight (she'd sworn the towel she tied around his neck would bless him with the gift of flight), and at twenty-five it convinced him to leave New York behind for Seattle (because her roommates were flakes).

This time, it was responsible for complicating his life in the best possible way.

"Please, Eddie," Alice pleaded with him sweetly, "I just don't have it in me to take the bus again; the entire back end smelled like cat pee."

"Get a new car," Edward told her affectionately.

"You know I can't betray El Jefe like that!" she gasped. "He's just in one of his moods he'll straighten himself out in time."

"Being a mobile death trap is not a 'mood', Alice."

"Frankly, I'm glad he's not around to hear you say such awful things. Whatever, when seven o'clock rolls around, I better see that pretty face of your's at my studio door."

"I wouldn't count on it," he snickered.

When the seven o'clock hour did indeed roll around Edward (and his pretty face) lurked near the entrance of Alice's classroom, but the expected barrage of art students filing out didn't quite come on time. He desperately tried to be patient – folding his arms, leaning against one wall then leaving it for its opposite, and pacing like a madman until he finally couldn't take the wait anymore and he brazenly waltzed right in.

The sight before him took his breath away.

Not the students diligently slaving away behind their easels, but the gorgeous naked woman posed at the head of the room. It certainly wasn't what he had anticipated on being greeted with, and when he locked eyes with her, Edward found himself rooted to the floor.

"Oh shit, Edward – I totally lost track of time!" Alice said as she scrambled out from behind her desk. "My bad, everyone! That's it for today; I'll see you all on Thursday."

The sound of chairs scraping and supplies being packed away snapped Edward out of his trance and he slowly shuffled towards his sister and the beautiful woman (who regrettably had slipped into a robe).

"You weren't waiting long, were you? I'm so sorry about that; we kinda got in a groove here." Alice was practically falling all over herself with apologies

"What? Uh – no, no I just got here," he muttered, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"Good, now I don't feel so bad," Alice said. "Oh, Bella this is my baby brother, Edward. Edward, this is my awesome life model, Bella."

Formerly naked girl gave him a wide smile and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you."

And Edward, being the bastion of great manners and charm that he was, offered Bella nothing more than a curt nod in return before directing his attention to Alice. "Are you ready to go?"

She shot him a disapproving look. "Sorry, my brother was raised by howler monkeys and funnily enough they forgot to teach him proper etiquette."

With a self-deprecating laugh Bella eased her way towards the door. "See you later, Alice."

"Bella, wait!" she called out. "Edward and I are gonna drink cheap beer and watch awful movies; you're more than welcome to join us."

"Nah," Bella said, running her fingers through her chocolate hair. "I mean, thanks for the offer, but I can't tonight. I'll catch you guys next time."

"Sure," Alice smiled and the moment Bella was gone, she used the hand that had been giving a cheerful wave to smack Edward on the back of the head. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I don't know…I uh…she pretty," Edward stuttered dumbly.

Alice snorted. "Yeah, and fire hot; I'm glad we got that all straightened out, Encino Man."

"God, I'm such a twat!" he moaned. "You could've warned me!"

"I wasn't expecting you to walk in and even so, what was I supposed to say?" She laughed, "'Be mindful of perky breasts'?"

"That's a start!"

"C'mon, Eddie," Alice said throwing an arm around his shoulders and leading him towards the door, "if you like Bella that much, you can drop by and exercise your drawing skills Tuesdays and Thursdays at six."

He pulled a face. "I don't know the girl well enough to like her. Sure she's beautiful, but seriously, Alice, that's no reason to stalk your class. I mean, what do you even know about this Bella person besides her views on nudity?"

"I know her last name is Swan, that her hours at her other job have been cut so she's doing this for extra cash, that she's sweet, and that she has the ability to turn you into an ill-tempered idiot." Off of his look she said with a shrug, "What? We've gone out for coffee a few times."

Edward's face was stern. "I can see the wheels turning in your head and you can forget about it."

Alice was the very picture of innocence. "What wheels? I didn't know not wanting you to spend every Friday night in your boxers eating Easy Mac constituted as having a grand scheme."

"I'm not ready for another relationship, _Alice_." He frowned.

"Tanya was practically a lifetime ago, _Edward_," she shot back. "She's moved on – several times, why can't you?"

"I don't have time for Naked Girl Swan." Pausing he added, "Oh, and I'm buying you a new car."

**

"Don't let me disturb your flow. If I'm bothering you, feel free to tell me to me to fuck right off."

There was a smattering of laughter throughout the classroom as Alice made her way from student to student, but none of this registered with Edward. This was the third week he'd spent in the company of 'Naked Girl Swan' (as he affectionately called her in his head), and he still wasn't used to the ungodly level of anticipation he felt at the mere thought of a robe being discarded. He wasn't used to the sight of her creamy skin or the curve of her hips, or the way her cheeks always colored with embarrassment at the start of the session.

At this point, he thought he'd never be used to her. This girl, it seemed, was destined to take his breath away every single time.

Edward immediately put pencil to sketch pad and got back to work. Alice was still radiating smug over his turning up for her class, and the last thing he needed was to confirm her suspicions that he only showed to perv away in silence.

Besides the smug, Alice seemed keen to sit back and watch the hapless display rather than play matchmaker. The only move she made in helping him was mounting a dry erase board to his bedroom door; every Tuesday she would write out in perfect script what she dubbed as 'Alice's Ninety-Five Theses'. The rule the first week was '**All Edward's should be clean shaven'**, and was followed by '**All Edward's should have neatly pressed clothes**'.

Today it was, '**All Edward's shouldn't be afraid to say hello to pretty, naked girls**'.

Eyeing the clock, Alice announced time was up and Edward held his breath; the very moment he'd been simultaneously dreading and anticipating had arrived. He'd finally give Bella a proper hello, and transition it into a smooth conversation in which his sparkling wit and personality secured not only a dinner date, but a declaration of undying love.

The perfect greeting was spring loaded on his tongue as Bella made her way towards him. She seemed to be moving in slow motion; her slender legs were graceful, powerful, and confident--

and then she accidentally clipped the side of a desk with her hip.

Edward flashed her, his most charming smile and said, "Wow, is this your first day walking?"

Blushing furiously, Bella rushed past him and out of the door leaving a dumbstruck Edward and a highly amused Alice behind.

"I swear to god, it's like my brain and my mouth, have decided to work independently," he sighed loudly, covering his face with the palms of his hands

Alice giggled. "I might as well go ahead and tell you that next week's rule is '**All Edward's should refrain from insulting pretty, naked girls they want to talk to**'."


	2. Back to Texas with Heaven Behind Me

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Sky**

Pen name: Dee12

Paring/Characters: Jasper

Summary: In which Jasper relives the worst thing he's ever done. Canon.

_**Back to Texas with Heaven Behind Me**_

She was gorgeous. Big, blue eyes, wheat colored hair – and she waited for him, like she always had, on the porch swing with dainty toes scraping against wood.

He'd wanted her in ways good Christian boys didn't dare dream of, and she'd obliged his inner heathen with stolen kisses underneath the starry Texas sky.

Now his desire twisted in a different kind of lust.

He returned to present day with her blood on his lips and the sound of her bones snapping in his ears.

"The worst thing I've done? I don't know, Bella; it all blends together," Jasper lied.


	3. Hideous Green Jackets

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Crusade**

Pen name: Dee12

Pairing/Characters: Edward/Bella, Jacob/Bella (some), Alice, Rosalie, Mike.

Summary: In which Edward tries to save his marriage. AH/AU.

_Author's Note_: _The narrative jumps around in this one, here's how it works, ** denotes the continuation of the story in real time, and __**[]**__'s are flashbacks. _

_**Hideous Green Jackets**_

Christmas Eve at the Palisades Mall supplied a laughably festive backdrop for the total collapse of his existence.

Being surrounded by wreaths, and lights, and bags from the Gap, and snot-nosed, crying children trailing alongside their snot-nosed parents, and fake snow and plastic candy canes from Santa's goddamn village, made Edward and his misery feel woefully out of place; three good days worth of stubble lined his chin, and all of that emotional baggage he'd been carrying around made its presence known in the form of dark circles underneath his eyes.

Some smart ass fresh from having his kid awkwardly pose on a costumed stranger's lap took one look at Edward's green sportcoat and snickered, "Which one of the elves in Santa's workshop are you supposed to be?"

Edward's droll reply, "Blinky, The Suicidal one" didn't go over so well.

He'd always held an irrational hatred for the holidays (whose roots could be traced all the way back to Christmas 1990 and the absence of a Power Wheels underneath his tree), but it felt odd to finally have a legitimate reason for slamming doors in the faces of carolers.

_Christmas Shoes_ blared over the loudspeaker in the food court, and Edward attempted to pull what was left of his dignity together. "How does it feel to be a professional life-ruiner? Do you get great benefits?" he glared at his companion.

"I do alright for myself, Mr. Cullen." A smile curled itself onto the thin lips of the little man in the Brooks Brothers suit.

Edward made a noise somewhere in the back of his throat. "We'll have to get together and reminisce sometime."

A nod, "Absolutely; until then, you have a merry Christmas." And with that, he pressed the dull edge of a manila folder into the palm of Edward's hand. "Edward Cullen, you've been served."

The last maudlin note of the song rang out as that little fucker's mom got her burial shoes, the music transitioned into _Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas_, and Edward grit his teeth so hard it was a miracle they didn't shatter. It would take much more than this to make him roll over and admit defeat.

He was not going down without a fight.

******

"Edward? Is…is that you?"

In the thirty or so minutes he'd spent face down among the begonias just outside of his estranged wife's apartment, Edward had kept himself busy by coming up with a shortlist of people he'd least like to have discover him in such a position. Number three was currently standing over him wearing reindeer antlers and a puzzled expression.

"Hello, Mike," the greeting was directed towards earthworms and dirt.

"Edward, do you need some help?"

Despite having the dubious honor of being number three, Mike Newton wasn't all bad. He was your run-of-the mill harmless asshole type; he was the kind of guy who still wore his letterman jacket and bored you to death with tales of high school football glory. The kind of guy who didn't let his increasingly paunchy gut stop him from attending frat house keggers, who made thinly veiled passes at the girlfriends and wives of his buddies, the kind of guy who needed to make everyone around him hyper aware of the fact he possessed a penis, and for four years Edward dealt with having this sort of fool as a boss.

These traits – douchebaggy though they may be – weren't the reason for his list position. No, it was Newton's tendency to gossip as if he were Perez fucking Hilton that did it.

"No, no I'm fine," Edward groaned as he pulled himself upright. "I dropped my keys."

"Oh man, that sucks! Here, you need a light?" Mike was digging around in his pockets for his trusty Bic lighter, the cigarette that had lured him away from the party dangled precariously from his lips.

Edward jingled his key ring at him. "Nope, found 'em."

"Cool, so uh…does Bella know you're here? I mean, I know you guys are having problems…"

"Of _course_ you do, Mike," he muttered. "Yeah, she told me to stop by if I had time after my gig."

Of course that was a complete and total lie. Bella had made it clear she wanted her space to be Edward Cullen free these days, and would undoubtedly flip her shit if she knew he'd stooped low enough to lurk outside of the home they once shared.

Mike paused to light his cigarette. "Wow, I didn't know you had a show tonight. How'd it go?"

"It was cancelled; I lost money," Edward flatly replied.

"Oh," Mike said pityingly and exhaled smoke out of his nose like a dragon. "I'm sorry; you know you can always come back to the store. We miss having you around."

"Yeah," he sighed heavily, "I'll think about it."

"Shit, where are my manners?" Mike asked himself while furiously padding at his pockets for the pack of Parliament Lights he'd tucked away. "Do you want one?"

"No thanks, I quit."

"Man, Cullen you've got to tell me your secret. I've been trying to quit for so long…"

Laughter and muffled conversations flitted out of the open door, the music transitioned from _Poker Face_ to _Last Christmas_, and the visible evidence of Edward's breath churned around with cigarette smoke against the cold night air. He'd had several unrealistic expectations for how the night was suppose to go; he would have kept his vigil among the earthworms and dirt, peeking through the window just once, and just long enough to catch a glimpse of Bella's face in a moment where it wasn't performing for her guests with false smiles. He wanted to catch downcast eyes, or a defeated slump of her shoulders – something, anything to let him know that she was just as miserable without him as he was without her. Then, when the last of their friends had walked out of the door, Edward would have brushed the grime from his clothes, strolled up very calmly and knocked. He would have invented some story about some essential personal belonging he'd left behind, notice the state of disarray the apartment was in, and kindly offer to help get rid of the empties. Naturally all of that would lead to a conversation that ended with make up sex.

"Bella's friend Jake was just telling me that he used hypnosis to quit," Mike chuckled and took one last drag before he tossed the butt to the ground. "I think its complete bullshit, but the dude swears by it."

"Jake?" Edward clenched his teeth. "Is he here?"

"Uh, yeah man," Mike gave him a sideways look, "I told you I was just talking to the guy before I came out here and found you hiding in the bushes." Throwing an arm around Edward's shoulders he said, "C'mon, it's cold as balls out here; let's get you inside, you look like you could use some eggnog. Oh and…" he paused flicking the collar of the ugly green sportcoat with a snicker, "nice jacket, Cullen."

**[60 Days Ago]**

"He's _just_ a friend, Edward! What, am I not allowed to have friends anymore? Tell me, should I quit my job in order to have dinner ready and on the table by five? Should I start referring to you as 'Lord and Master' and keep my head down in public?"

It was just like Bella to get all sarcastic on his ass when he was being completely serious, however, as far as Jacob was concerned Edward was sticking to his guns; because, the rules of straight maledom dictated that when put in the presence of a beautiful, doe-eyed female, any and all communication with said female was to be made with the express purpose of seeing her naked – and beautiful, doe-eyed Bella had a buddy with "Goddamn, I want to see you naked" written all over his face.

Jacob Black was certainly a strapping example of maledom; the guy was six feet and seven inches of solid muscle, boyish dimples, wavy dime store romance novel hair, and smooth russet skin. Jacob Black probably wrestled pumas on weekends and bled 'woodsy' scented cologne. Jacob Black probably had a nickname like 'The Virginity Smasher' in high school. God probably gave Jacob Black two legs so that he'd have something to fall back on for when he grew tired of standing on his dick; and Bella _actually_ expected him to believe that, that guy was only interested in her childhood stories, and discussing the latest movies?

No; _fuck_ Jacob Black, and his _motherfucking_ russet skin. "Don't be childish, Bella." Edward rolled his eyes.

That did it. If she had been treading the waters between snarky annoyance and legitimate anger before, Bella had now made a choice; she was livid. "_I'm_ the one who's being childish?! You're asking me to choose between my husband and my best friend!"

"Goddammit, that's just it! Being your husband and your best friend should be one in the same!" he shouted. "You tell him everything! He has a piece of you that I can't even begin to touch, and I'm the one you married!"

Bella sniffed loudly, blinking back tears, "You don't get to break me and then complain about the person who helped put me back together again." Yanking a pillow from the bed, she wasted no time in launching it at his face. "Enjoy your night on the couch."

**

The dreaded best friends were the first people Edward locked eyes with as he and Mike trudged through the front door, and truthfully, he'd expected some kind of scene. A cliché "Oh _hell_ no" perhaps, or for them to take off to find Bella all wide-eyed and clicking heels, like the sidekicks in some abortion of a romantic comedy; instead, Alice and Rosalie exchanged a smirk and raised their Appletini's in his direction.

He was grateful until he realized they were too busy congratulating themselves on the orgy of shrew-like behavior that was responsible for his current wardrobe.

**[21 Days Ago]**

_Dear Edward,_

_Get fucked._

_Xoxoxo,_

_A & R_

_P.S._

_Of course Bella's conscience wouldn't let her participate, but we took pictures and plan on spending the night laughing at your expense_.

Edward's eyes darted from the neatly written note in his hand, to the mint green sportcoat, brown corduroys, and Backstreet Boys Millennium Tour T-shirt hanging pathetically in his corner of the closet, and back to the window where he could see his former wardrobe in a burning pile on the lawn.

**

Bella was in mid-laugh; head thrown back with a smile that engulfed her face, and tears in her eyes. She radiated a warmth and happiness he felt like he hadn't seen in years.

She glowed and it was infectious; Edward smiled in spite of himself.

Whatever Jacob had said to her must've been sidesplitting hilarious, and the second that thought crossed his mind, Edward's smile faded as quickly as it had come. Seriously, _fuck_ that guy.

"Look who I found hiding outside," Mike happily announced, and had the good sense to look terrified when Bella turned a cold eye on him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Bella was shaking much to Edward's relief. It was good to know he still had an affect on her – it wasn't necessarily the one he wanted, but he'd take it. Indifference from Bella Cullen, nee Swan was a fate worse than death.

"We need to talk."

"Was he not invited? Because he told me he was invited," Mike stammered.

Jacob took the opportunity to situate himself between them and puffed out his barrel chest. "Are we gonna have a problem here, cause I've been itching for an excuse to smash your face in."

Though his blood was practically screaming for a manly display – the sort that required they remove their shirts and partake in the 'Whaddaya wanna do?' dance of idiotic posturing, Edward resisted and settled on a smirk instead. "Chill out, Sparky; this is between me and the wife."

Bella put a hand on Jake's shoulder to calm him before frowning at her soon-to-be ex. "You get five minutes."

**[3 Years and 20 Days Ago]**

He found her splayed out on the bathroom floor, a look of bored irritation settled on her lovely features when she rolled her head towards the doorway to be able to glance up at him.

Bella desperately wanted to be angry, he could tell, and he knew he should do the good husband routine and let her stew and bitch for as long as she deemed necessary.

He just hadn't counted on it being so funny.

"Don't laugh…" Bella's attempt at stern disintegrated and left a giggle fit in its wake. "It's not funny, dammit! I've been locked in here for over an hour!"

Edward straddled her hips and entwined his fingers with hers. "Then why are you laughing?"

She let out an unladylike snort which only served to make him laugh harder. "I hate you."

"No, you adore me," he said dropping his head in order to press a kiss to her collarbone. "Don't worry I adore you, too.

"An hour, Edward…"

His lips moved to her neck. "Be angry at Newton, he's the one that wouldn't let me take my lunch break sooner."

"…and you're still trying to keep me here?" she teased removing a hand from his grasp in order to bury her fingers in his auburn hair.

"I'm thinking about it."

Bella grinned. "I hope you're also thinking about fixing that door."

**

Green eyes traveled from her fiery glare, to the bathroom door with the knob that refused to turn, and back to Bella again, and Edward attempted an innocent shrug of his shoulders. "I never did get around to fixing that door."

"You did that on purpose!" she shouted.

"This is true," he said taking a seat on the edge of the tub. "I just wanted a little time, Bella, and if we can't fix this before the night is over then I'll give up." He waved the envelope containing the petition for divorce at her before chucking it on the bathroom rug. "I swear – no more phone calls, no more hiding in bushes – I'll walk away and leave you with half of everything I own." Taking out his cell phone, Edward placed it on top of the papers. "When we're done, you can call your attack dog to let us out."

She raised an eyebrow. "You've been hiding in the bushes?"

"Let's focus on the important stuff, shall we?" he told her without missing a beat. "Look, it's almost Christmas, and I'm long overdue for a fucking miracle so can we give talking a try this time around?"

Bella remained silent for a while, working her bottom lip in between her teeth. "Alright," she finally conceded and sat down with her back to the broken door. "But, we have to be absolutely, one hundred percent honest with each other."

He nodded. "I can do honesty."

"Are you sure? This does require not withholding any information which means you won't be able to bottle anything up to brood over until you pass out," she snickered.

He frowned. "A little self reflection never hurt anyone, Bella."

"A little _self flagellation _is more like it," she rolled her eyes, "you were always too intense for your own good, Edward – I mean look at you! You're still wearing those ridiculous clothes, for god's sake! You've been at your parents' place for how long now? You can't tell me that Carlisle refused to offer you any replacements. "

Edward tugged at the dingy Backstreet Boy's T-Shirt that had become a part of his uniform. "Golf shirts and khaki's make piss poor millstones."

Scoffing, Bella folded her arms over her chest. "And that's the problem, right there; it's your struggle, _your_ burden and I'm not clued in on what's going on inside that head of your's until you decide to get up and leave! Oh, but _I'm_ the one who doesn't share."

"No, you share a great deal – Jacob should start charging you by the hour for using his shoulder as your own personal therapist's couch," he replied nastily. "I told you exactly how I felt about him and you completely dismissed my feelings, Bella."

"Only because you were being ridiculous!"

"So, he hasn't made a move, then? I can handle being wrong, you know; if I misjudged him I'm sorry. I won't hesitate to apologize to the guy."

Her cheeks colored and Bella suddenly took an extreme interest in the bit of gum stuck between the ridges on the bottom of her Nike's.

Edward leaned forward on his knees looking quite pleased with himself. "I can see you're debating this honesty policy already."

"We've had one date," she sheepishly admitted.

**[6 Days Ago]**

Jake tried his best to appear casual as he lingered on her doorstep, but the air of sweaty-palms and butterflies was an unmistakable one, and no mask of cool machismo could hide it.

By all accounts, the evening had been a wonderful one; there had been light, but stimulating conversation over tuna tempura and they'd thoroughly enjoyed having blood and guts fly at them in 3D during a late-night showing of the latest slasher flick. This date, as Bella had silently noted several times throughout the night, had been one of the most relaxing and effortless dates she'd ever been on.

And then he had to go and ruin the easy mood by clearly wanting to kiss her goodnight.

She'd desperately wanted to see Jake in a romantic light because she needed proof that life after Edward Cullen was possible, but as they stood there – she awkwardly shifting her weight from one foot to the other, and he working up the courage to make his move – Bella couldn't help feeling as though she were on the verge of French kissing her brother.

He flashed a mouth full of pearly whites. "I had an awesome time tonight."

"Mmm-hmm, yeah," Bella nervously mumbled and shoved her hands into the pockets of her coat, "it was great."

She blinked and suddenly Jacob's face was mere inches away from her own, his lips puckered and moving in quickly for the kill, and then Bella did something quite unexpected. She grabbed his hand and gave it a hearty shake.

"Goodnight, buddy!"

**

Tears streamed down Edward's face and he made a show of rolling around on the floor in hysterics. Bella rolled her eyes, but fought the urge to smile at his display.

"You shook the poor bastard's hand?"

"Yeah," she grumbled. "Look, I'm not interested in Jake like that – I never have been, and I can't believe you had such little faith in me."

Calming down, Edward pulled himself upright again. "Well, what was I supposed to think when you're spending every available moment with the guy?"

Bella shrugged. "Maybe you were supposed to think 'this girl was stupid enough to wait for me to come back'."

**[1 Year Ago]**

He wasn't exactly sure when it had happened, but at some point Edward Cullen woke up as a married, twenty-seven year old sporting goods store manager. This wasn't the way his life was supposed to have turned out, and even though he loved his wife with all of his heart, he still had dreams that weren't content on dying.

He printed Bella's name on the outside of the envelope containing his carefully worded letter. He would return for her, but he had to do this for himself.

And with one last look around their apartment, he grabbed his guitar case and headed for the door.

**

"Leaving you was the most selfish thing I've ever done, Bella. I let this stupid-ass pipe dream of becoming a musician cloud my judgment, and I forgot about what's truly important – and I expected you to understand all of that. I'm such a…" he paused searching for the right word.

"Dipshit?" she offered with just the hint of a smile.

"Dipshit works," he chuckled softly. "I asked entirely too much of you, and I can't blame you for wanting to be rid of me. But you – our marriage, it means the world to me, and I can't walk away without knowing we tried." His eyes were pleading. "Can we try?"

Bella wiped the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. "I don't…I…" her words died on the tip of her tongue.

"You don't have to answer that now," Edward told her sweetly. "We've got all night."


	4. So, Predictable

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Vivid**

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Bella and Renee

Summary: In which Bella gets her fortune told. Pre-Twilight

_**So Predictable**_

"C'mon, Bells! It'll be fun, I swear."

Her mother, ever the shining example of the maturity and responsibility that's supposed to come with adulthood, actually pouted and made sure to stomp her foot like a five year old.

No wonder Bella felt as though she had such a fucked up view of the proper behavior of a teenager; she was stuck playing the role of parent ninety-five percent of the time. "Seriously, mom? These places are a rip-off; and the rent's due in a couple of weeks, we shouldn't be wasting money."

Renee huffed, "Let me worry about the rent. You need to lighten up, kiddo and what better way to do that than with a silly palm reading. Trust me, you'll love it."

Through gritted teeth, Bella allowed herself to be pulled through the doors of Madame Russo's fine establishment. Drippy candles and new-agey schlock covered every inch of the room, and she briefly wondered if the smell of patchouli would ever come out of her clothes.

An aging hippy breezed out from behind a beaded curtain and greeted them with a dramatic flourish. "Welcome, dear hearts, welcome! How may I be of service to you this evening?"

Renee gave her daughter a sideways glance and spoke out of the corner of her mouth. "Be _nice_." She turned to Madame Russo smiling brightly. "How much for a palm reading?"

"Fifty each," the woman answered quickly.

Bella made a noise somewhere in the back of her throat. "No way, that's ridiculous."

"Oh, silly me!" Madame Russo let out a high pitched laugh. "I completely forgot about today's special; twenty-five each and I'll throw in a free candle, scent of your choice." She eyed the two expectantly and visibly relaxed the moment Renee nodded her head.

"Sounds good to me," Renee chirped. She feverishly dug through her purse finally producing her wallet. "Crap, I don't have any cash…" she began with a frown and was cut off by the psychic,

"Visa, American Express, Mastercard, or Discover?" Madame asked. "It's not a problem, I take it all."

**

"Give me your hand, dear heart."

Callused fingers grazed across the skin of her palm, as Bella watched with a cynical yet curious eye. Madame Russo's lips pulled into a tight, thin line and she made a point to 'hmm' and 'ah' every once in a while to give the impression that knowledge from the deepest recesses of the earth was being absorbed through the girl's branching life line.

"I see a great love in your future; so powerful and consuming that you'll give up everything for it."

"Is that right?" Bella held back a snicker.

Madame's gray eyes locked onto her brown ones. "This love…it'll be your end and your beginning."

She withdrew her hand with a frown. "There aren't exactly any boys in the ninth grade I'd be willing to die for, you know."

That got a smile. "Your journey is elsewhere. I would invest in umbrellas if I were you, dear heart. It's going to rain a lot."

Her chair loudly scraping across the hardwood floor, Bella angrily climbed to her feet. "Could you maybe do me a favor and keep the creepy, cryptic bullshit to a minimum when you speak to my mother. She takes this stuff seriously."

"Your mother will be fine," Madame Russo waved her off. "She's gonna meet a nice ball player and settle down."

**

"Well, how was it?" Renee beamed as Bella stormed out from behind the curtain.

"Fifty dollars well spent, mom," she sniped. "I hope you love the smell of sandalwood."


	5. Passed Out in Your Garden

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Soft**

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Edward and Bella

Summary: In which Edward has a little problem…um, down there. Post Breaking Dawn.

_**Passed Out in Your Garden**_

"Please don't patronize me, Bella," Edward huffed brushing her hand away from his shoulder and made a show tossing the covers aside as he climbed out of bed.

She tried hard to hide her smile. "It's not a big deal, really. I'm sure this happens a lot."

Edward paced back and forth with his hands on his bare hips. "This has _never_ happened to my brothers."

"Oh, like they'd really share if it did," Bella rolled her eyes. "We did hunt all day; you're probably just spent." Now she couldn't help laughing, "So do they make Viagra for vampires?"

"Funny."


	6. Salt Your Wounds

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Jealousy **

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Leah, Sam/Emily

Summary: In which Leah is bitter. Canon.

_**Salt Your Wounds**_

Hating Emily wasn't an easy thing; it amounted to the emotional equivalent of kicking a puppy in the ribs, or spitting on Gandhi. That girl was armed with a patient smile and a basket of fucking muffins, and not one catty comment ever passed her lips.

It was frustrating and laughable, and at this point Leah was convinced that her cousin was spat onto earth in a stream of fluffy clouds and starlight.

Sam was entirely another story.

"_I hope Emily loves tiny dicks and a lack of stamina_."

She would never feel bad about pouring salt in his wounds.


	7. Earshot

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Awkward **

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Edward and Bella

Summary: In which Edward can hear Bella's thoughts. Twilight AU.

_**Earshot**_

After months of trying, Edward finally broke through the veritable shield that had been protecting Bella Swan's thoughts. Now he'd know exactly how the mind of his beloved worked and he couldn't wait to dive in and discover what made this extraordinary girl tick.

As Bella went on about her latest conversation with Renee, he feigned interest and peaked inside her head.

_Edward's so beautiful! I'm not worthy enough to look at him. God, that incandescent marble flesh and those topaz eyes! He's so perfect and dazzling. _

Silently he wondered if breaking up in an email would be too harsh.


	8. Future Cat Ladies of America

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Platonic**

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Jessica and Mike

Summary: In which Jessica's in the friend zone. Twilight.

_**Future Cat Ladies of America**_

He ruffled her hair. He'd _actually_ ruffled her hair and as if that shit wasn't sad enough, he had to go and punch her in the arm and top it all off by calling her "Champ".

Jesus Christ, she was not his "buddy", his "pal", and she most certainly was not anything resembling his "champ"! She was a woman, goddammit and she had more sparkle in her personality and more bounce in her shiny hair than Bella Swan would ever have, yet she was stuck in Newton's friend zone!

Jessica sighed; she was on the fast track to "cat lady".


	9. A Lesson in Myths

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Wood**

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Edward

Summary: In which Edward is bad. Pre-Twilight.

_**A Lesson in Myths**_

Normally he wasn't the type to play with his food; such actions were childishly sadistic in Edward's eyes, but there was something about Senora De La Garza that appealed to him beyond the blood coursing through her veins.

He wasn't in the mood to be merciful and quick. Not with this one. He wanted to enjoy every aspect of ending her life.

The wooden stake in her hands splintered against his chest, and Edward laughed cruelly. He drank in the sight of her bleary eyes, and mocked her pleas to God in broken Spanish.

"Senora, you read too many books."


	10. A Three Course Meal of Rainbow Pills

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Walls**

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Bella, Charlie, Renee

Summary: In which Bella is on some Girl, Interrupted shit. New Moon AU.

_**A Three Course Meal of Rainbow Pills**_

The walls of the psychiatric hospital were an abominable piss sort of yellow – Charlie hated them. He liked to concentrate on that meaningless feeling whenever he and his ex were forced to take a trip upstate together.

Better to be angry at something ridiculous than to be angry at his failure as a father and a husband.

He slipped an arm around Renee's waist in support as they took in the doctor's bad news.

"Mr. and Mrs. Swan, Bella's built up such a complex fantasy in her mind, and its crumbled; her Edward's gone, we're not sure she'll ever recover."


	11. Dress Up

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Play**

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Victoria

Summary: In which Victoria criticizes Bella's wardrobe. Takes place within Eclipse.

_**Dress Up**_

Victoria twirled around in the ankle-length khaki skirt, giggling as it fanned out around her. The other garments her eager beaver newborn brought back from Bella Swan's house lay in a neatly folded pile at her feet.

Bella was all drab button-downs and sensible shoes, her wardrobe could only be considered exciting by someone that spent their Friday nights with _The Price is Right_ and a box of prunes. Perhaps her mate Cullen had a bit of a fundie fetish.

This crap was getting tossed the moment she was done playing dress up, except the skirt.

The skirt was bitchin.


	12. How Can I Get You Alone

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Heart**

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Bella and Edward

Summary: In which Bella discovers Edward's musical guilty pleasures. Canon, takes place within 'Twilight'.

_**How Can I Get You Alone?**_

Bella studied the meticulously arranged CD's in Edward's collection, pausing to shoot him an over-the-shoulder glance. "I was hoping you'd have at least one pop record we could listen to."

Edward stretched out lazily on the couch. "I do; I love _The Beatles_."

"No," she shook her head. "I want _Britney Spears' Greatest Hits_ or something."

"Sorry, I'm not a fan of cheese," he chuckled softly.

Suddenly grinning Bella pulled an album from the shelf. When the first few notes of a _Heart_ song poured out of the speakers, Edward groaned in embarrassment.

"Not a fan of cheese, my ass."


	13. My Heart is the Worst Kind of Weapon

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Retribution **

Pen name: Dee12

Pairing/Characters: Edward/Bella, Bella/Mike, Jessica, Angela, Leah.

Rating: M (sexual language and situations)

Summary: In which Edward and Bella seek revenge on their cheating spouses. AH/AU

_Author's Note: _

_Your remorse hasn't fallen on deaf ears__  
__rather ones that just don't care__  
__cause I know__  
__that you're in between arms somewhere__  
__next to heartbeats__  
__where you shouldn't dare sleep__  
__Now I'll teach you a lesson__  
__for keeping secrets from me__._

_Pete Wentz may be the poster boy for a toolbag, but he gets it right sometimes. _

_**My Heart is the Worst Kind of Weapon**_

Mike Newton was her safe choice.

In the scope of small-town logic, a pair of crystal blue eyes and a letterman jacket went a long way in the game of winning a girl's undying affection, and when coupled with a jovial nature and the sort of family that should only exist behind white picket fences in Rockwell paintings, swooning was inevitable.

And god, did she ever swoon.

Falling for Mike was an easy business; she'd never been one to understand the appeal of bad boys (motorcycles and unpredictable natures were such an awful combination), Bella Swan wanted stable, dependable, and comfortable. Her knight in shining armor favored discussions over the Sunday paper; he enjoyed the efficiency of a minivan and whispered phrases like "I want to make love to you" into the ear of his beloved. Mike Newton with his perfectly quaffed blonde hair and dimpled smile should have guaranteed her all of these things. He'd given her the embodiment of teen-dream puppy love at seventeen, and by the time they'd reached twenty-six with the proverbial Protestant wedding, and the birth of one perfect child behind them, Bella and her knight carved out a perfect cookie-cutter niche in suburbia.

"…Are you still there?"

She could hear the rerun of _Phineas and Ferb _that was currently getting the undivided attention of their five year old, blaring from inside the playroom. In front of her, the pot of spaghettios bubbled and foamed under the high heat of the stove's burner, and on the other end of the phone line the stranger that had just shattered her entire existence was calling her name:

"Hello, Mrs. Newton?"

"Huh? Oh shit," she swore and immediately moved the scorched mess that was supposed to be her daughter's lunch off of the eye. "I'm sorry, I zoned out there for a second."

"That's alright; listen, I think we should meet. I have a few things I'd like to show you…"

Bella's autopilot made the agreement on a time and a place, then took on the arduous tasks of hanging up the phone and shuffling her feet towards the playroom where little Ava sat in raptures. Her dark, curly head bobbed in time to the cartoon's musical segment, and Bella found herself grateful that Ava bore little resemblance to her father. If any part of Mike reflected back at her in that loving, cherubic face she would have been powerless against the inevitable feelings of resentment and anger.

As it were, Bella only had to detest her daughter's ears.

"How about a happy meal instead of spaghettios?" she asked and got a squeal of delight in response.

"Can I play in the Play Place, mommy – _please_?" Ava had realized long ago that her powers of persuasion resided in her big, brown eyes and she widened them while working her bottom lip in between her teeth.

Smiling, Bella knelt down beside the girl. "Of course you can." Bringing a hand to Ava's head, Bella undid her pony-tail holder and brushed through the curls with her fingers. "Why don't you wear your hair down today, hmm? It's so pretty when it's down."

**

Skirting around other patrons as she entered the diner, she threw the rain soaked hood of her jacket off of her head and scanned the room. He was tucked away in the corner of a booth with his face hidden behind the tale-tell issue of _People_ they'd agreed would be their signal, and she headed straight for him with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"Mr. Cullen?" her voice sounded shaky and foreign to her ears.

His green eyes darted above the pages and he gave a curt nod as he set the magazine down next to a plate of Oreo pie. "Mrs. Newton."

She slid onto the opposite bench, and with manners laughable for the circumstances under which they were meeting offered him a hand. "Please, call me, Bella."

A ghost of a smile played across his lips. "Edward."

Some hash-slinger with graying hair and sunken eyes came by to refill his coffee and promised to return with a cherry coke for Bella, and the momentary awkward silence that followed the brief interruption allowed her the chance to study the man seated across the table. When Bella agreed to meeting with Mr. Cullen she had dared to hope that her companion's looks would lean towards mediocrity. A dowdy, unremarkable man with a dowdy, unremarkable wife her mind could spin into a scenario a little less insulting (Mike could never love a creature so plain, so this woman is just a byproduct of suburban boredom that's willing to fulfill his dirtiest desires). But Edward Cullen, in a word, was gorgeous.

There was no way that this man with his chiseled features and striking eyes could ever be married to a hosebeast, and so Bella was left to confront the very real possibility that her husband had simply "traded up".

Removing a manila envelope from the seat, Edward placed it on the table and pushed it in her direction. "Jess really doesn't deserve all of the money I dropped on a private detective. I should've just called those guys from _Cheaters_," he told her dryly.

Laid out in full color photos was the evidence of Mike's affair. Picture after stomach churning picture of kisses and loving smiles, and she bravely marched through them all with her teeth set on edge.

Then there were the text messages – "_I luv u_", "_can I cum over_", "_I can't wait to taste ur sweet cunt_"… Bella choked on her soda. "Wow," she began sniffing back tears, "after all these years together, I had no idea Mike was such a fucking poet."

She furiously wiped at the wet mess that was beginning to roll down her cheeks; Edward may have been going through the same thing, but she'd always been a 'hide your emotions until they leave you at the brink of catatonia' kind of girl – crying over Mike was not an option. Crying over Mike in front of a stranger? That was sin.

"Kinda makes you wish there hadn't been so many advances in forensics, doesn't it?" Edward's attempt at levity failed miserably and he ended up allowing her to make a snotty mess of his handkerchief.

**

_:The Rialto:_

"Thanks for coming over on such short notice, Leah, especially on a Friday night."

The teenager immediately got to work making herself comfortable by flopping down on the Newton's plush couch, while Bella lingered near the doorway. "No problem, Mrs. Newton. My social life's nearing pathetisad these days, so I didn't exactly have much going on tonight anyway." Leah added with a shrug, "Besides, out of all of the brats I sit for, your brat is the easiest."

"How sweet," Bella flatly replied.

"Where's Big M?" TV remote in hand, Leah propped her feet on the coffee table. "You guy's meeting up for a hot date?"

"No," she sighed, "he's working late. I'm feeling a little stir crazy and need to get out of the house for a few hours that's all."

"Gotcha," Leah said distractedly. She was already perusing the channel guide; aside from Ava being fairly well-behaved, the Newton's killer cable package was enough to make her want to offer her services for free.

"Ava was totally knocked out last I checked, but if she wakes up…"

Leah grinned, "I'll have _The Wizard of Oz_ ready and raring to go."

"_And_…?" Bella dragged the word out teasingly.

"_And_, don't order any more movies On Demand," Leah finished with an exaggerated roll of her dark eyes. "Don't sweat so much, Mrs. Newton. Oh, and do me a favor and have a good time, will ya? You're looking a bit too much like a woman in need of a place to hide a body these days."

**

"Bella?"

The first picture in the stack of evidence had been of Mike and Jessica Cullen heading towards the Rialto Theatre's box office arm-in-arm; when she left Leah behind, she hadn't exactly intended on ending up there, yet here she was gazing up at the Cary Grant triple feature splashed across the marquee.

Edward walked towards her with his hands shoved in his pockets and the steady summer breeze whipping at the collar of his shirt. He was alone, and this fact caused her to sink her teeth into the meat of her cheek.

Yeah, Mike was practically drowning in paperwork – she was _sure_.

Bella's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hey."

Edward, who'd seemed so confident in his stride mere seconds before, gave her an awkward little wave. Shared misery didn't make them best friends it only meant they were two people whose lives happened to cross at the shittiest intersection they could find. What exactly were they supposed to say to each other: "Hey, how've you been since finding out you're being cheated on"? He was probably regretting the decision to be polite, and she really couldn't blame him.

"How've you been?" he asked, and she cringed arching a brow,

"_Really_?"

"Wow, I honestly just asked how you're doing, didn't I?" he grinned sheepishly while running a hand through his auburn hair.

Bella gave a shrug of her shoulders. "No, it's okay. For the record, I'm doing pretty shitty."

"Oh, that's good," he said with all sincerity. Off of her look he added, "Jesus Christ; it's highly possible I was dropped on my head as a baby. I swear I'm normally not this bad with social cues."

"We could try again," she offered.

Putting up a finger in a signal for her to 'hold on', Edward took three steps back, inhaled deeply, and approached her slowly. "Bella, it's nice to see you," he beamed. "Life still sucking as much for you as it is for me?"

"Absolutely," she snickered.

The pair shared an uncomfortable laugh before lapsing into the sort of dreaded silence a stilted conversation can bring. In a desperate attempt to end it, Bella asked, "So, are you here alone?"

It was another dumb and obvious question to add to their litany, and despite knowing its answer, her heart couldn't help sinking when Edward confirmed this fact with a nod.

"Jess is visiting her mother in New York; I put her on a plane myself this morning, so at least there's one thing she hasn't lied about."

"Thank god for small favors," was her sarcastic reply. "Mike claims he's working late, I dunno – I just had to get out of the house before I drove myself crazy wondering whether or not that was true, and I end up here." She let out a self-deprecating snort. "I must look like a complete and total psycho to you."

Edward shook his head, a small smile on his lips. "I just figured you were a Cary Grant fan."

"You know, I haven't even confronted him. I came home that night, I made stuffed pork chops for dinner, and I watched him fall asleep to _Sportscenter_; and every day after that has been just as innocuous – like I'm just going through the motions. I keep waiting for this urge to leave his clothes in a burning pile on the lawn or something, and it hasn't come." She chuckled humorlessly, "This hurts way too much to be indifference, so I'm not exactly sure what the hell I'm waiting on."

"Have you ever seen _Notorious_?" Edward asked out of the blue. "Because, if you haven't I'm buying you a ticket right now; it's not up for debate."

She blinked. "Uh, no; no, I haven't."

He offered her his arm and she took it after a slight hesitation. "I haven't confronted Jessica either," the warmth in his voice had disappeared leaving a chilly, business-like tone in its wake, "and I keep wondering how I should go about this. I should be mature, and the better person, and all of that, but an entire year of my life – of our lives – has been a lie, so 'petty' is kinda winning at the moment."

"What do you have in mind?" Bella asked, curiously tilting her head.

Edward's eyes burned into hers. "I want them to know how this feels; I want to make it hurt."

**

_:The Speakeasy:_

"_I hope u like dancing girl, cuz I'm taking u out_."

One particular afternoon while Mike busied himself with perfecting their lawn and Ava napped soundly recovering from the non-stop action of two hours filled with monkey bars and red rover, Bella grabbed Edward's infamous manila envelope from its hiding spot at the bottom of her sock drawer, and locked herself in the bathroom.

With bleary eyes and a tight chest on the verge of bursting at any given moment, she poured over every last piece of evidence of her husband's infidelity practically overdosing on masochism, and by the end of that ugly scene, she was resolved to never look at it again.

Everything was carefully stowed away in her memory, and it was a necessary evil. She had to be prepared.

When her cell chimed with the signal of a new text message, the corners of her mouth turned up in a grin, and Bella wasted no time tapping out her reply to Edward:

"_can't wait to see u, baby. 9:00, speakeasy?_"

In staging this affair, the two decided to meet at the locations depicted in the P.I.'s photographs, and to stick to the script Jessica and Mike's texts provided. This was a game; a part they were playing as a means to an end, and it wouldn't bode well to bring their actual selves to the table, so it was easy to slip into the skeezy roles of their significant others.

Mike was spread out on the bed, laughing hysterically at a sitcom when Bella emerged from their bathroom. Glancing casually her way, he took one look at her form fitting dress and high heels, and bolted straight up. "Whoa there, pretty lady; where are you taking off to?"

Bella spared a glance his way from over her shoulder then quickly returned her attention back to her figure in the dresser mirror. "Pretty lady?"

Mike climbed off the bed and headed her way, smiling from ear-to-ear. "There was a _Gunsmoke_ marathon on today, I thought I'd try it out," he said, slipping an arm around her waist. "So, where are you going all gussied up?"

She forced a smile. "I think 'pretty lady' and 'gussied' only work if you're out on the prairie, and it's girl's night out with Angela and Lauren. I told you this earlier," she said stepping out of his grasp.

"Well, you know I only pay attention half of the time," he joked.

"Of course."

Suddenly looking quite serious, Mike placed both hands on her shoulders. "Bella, is everything okay? Lately you've seemed a little...I don't know…"

"Everything's fine," she cut him off, "right as rain in fact." With an airy laugh she said, "I guess the gloomy days still get to me sometimes; you'd think after nearly a decade in Washington, I'd be used to the world looking gray."

Bella let out a small sigh of relief when he seemed to accept her answer. "Yeah? Maybe before the school year starts back, we'll pack up and spend some time at your mom's place. Take Ava to Disneyworld, and introduce her to sunlight."

"Hmm, yeah maybe," she nodded.

"Hey, tell the girls I said 'hello'." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "And go easy on the Appletini's."

**

"You don't actually want to hear this story, do you?"

The Speakeasy was surprisingly crowded for a Thursday night, yet Edward and Bella managed to find a decent table hidden in the shadows of low wattage and sweaty bodies. She leaned in close to his ear and spoke above the pounding beat of dance music, "No way you're getting out of it, dude! I told you my sappy teenage love story, now you tell me your's."

He feigned annoyance, taking a swig of beer. "You're a pushy woman, Bella Newton. Has anyone ever told you that?"

Edward received a playful punch in the arm for his troubles. "Dude, you're so bad at trying to change the subject!"

"God, get a few Corona's in you and you regress to fifteen," he laughed loudly. "I swear, I haven't been called a 'dude' since…" he frowned, eyebrows furrowed, "how old are you again?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Twenty-six."

"_Twenty-six_…" Edward's forefinger tapped at his chin as though he were deep in thought, "forget it, you're a baby and I'm not telling you how long it's been since I was called a 'dude'," he finished, smirking.

She groaned and hit him again for good measure. "You suck, Cullen."

A tsk, "You're a terribly violent person." Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a camera and tossed it over to her. "How's your photographer's eye?"

There was a drunken giggle, "I've got Myspace angles down to a science."

Pulling her in closely he ordered Bella to "smile prettily" and captured her earlobe in between his teeth the moment the camera's flash went off.

_:Ruby Beach:_

"Mike, hey!"

He casually glanced up from his tall café macchiato to see Angela Cheney coming his way. Though Mike usually lived for putting on the 'don't you wish your husband was this charming and fun-loving' show for the woefully undersexed gaggle of PTA members Bella was content on hanging out with, Angela's frumpy exterior and librarian glasses could not inspire enough effort.

Interaction between the two of them had never gone beyond what civilized society considered polite, and so the fact she chose to storm over and interrupt his lunch break as if they were long lost buddies annoyed him to no end.

Yet, ever the gentleman, Mike rose to his feet and was ready with a sweet smile for her. "How's it going?"

"Oh, pretty good," she tittered and he tried to tear his eyes away from the wad of cat hair that clung to the bottom of her sweater. "I just popped in here for a chocolate chip muffin before I take Brendon to Mommy and Me."

"Yeah – those muffins are pretty great. Well, I don't wanna hold you up so…"

"Hey, how's Bella's doing? I haven't seen her in a while."

He blinked, taken aback. "You guy's just went out last week."

"Uh, no…I haven't seen her since the spring carnival," Angela told him. "She was supposed to give me her red velvet cake recipe."

His mouth went dry. "My bad, I could've sworn she said you were joining her and Lauren for a girl's night." He let out a self deprecating laugh, "I'm sorry. You know how us husbands are when it comes to paying attention."

"Heh, don't feel bad; I swear Ben only hears every other word that comes out of my mouth."

Mike had a distinct memory of Bella climbing into bed that night smelling like a liquor cabinet; if she wasn't out getting tipsy off of fruity cocktails and swapping potty-training stories with her dull friends, then who was she with?

**

Edward smiled at the sound of Ava's overjoyed shriek. The little girl hadn't quite found the courage to actually go into the water, so she settled for letting it wash over her toes at the edge of the shore.

"Watch mommy, watch!" she yelled excitedly.

"I'm watching, baby," Bella called back.

Indulging Ava's request, the pair kept their eyes on her, and Edward gave the child a round of applause when she once again ran away. "Very nice, Miss Ava; very nice!"

Ava curtsied for them and quickly returned to her game.

"She's adorable; how old is she?"

"A quite grown up five," she told him with a proud smile. "Do you have any kids?"

"No – Jessica isn't really the motherly type, but I'd like to someday."

"Yeah, you should make it happen before you settle too far into your old age," she teased.

Edward grinned from ear to ear. "You're not gonna let that one go are you?"

"Nope," Bella chirped, lying back on her beach towel. "You also owe me a story."

"Alright," he sighed heavily. "I'll tell you, but only on one condition."

"What is it?" she asked quirking a brow.

Letting his eyes rake over her body, Edward reached out and put his fingertips on the cluster of freckles on her stomach. "I get to play connect the dots."

Bella swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "Mr. Cullen, are you flirting with me?" she managed to keep her voice steady and light.

His smirk was nothing short of lascivious. "I'm pretty sure your freckles resemble Orion, but I want to be sure I'm remembering eighth grade astronomy correctly."

The tip of her pink tongue darted out to wet her lips. "And how long ago was the eighth grade for you?"

"1988; I had a very stylish bowl cut," Edward softly chuckled reaching for her purse. "Have you got a pen?"

The ball point raked gently from one light brown fleck to another while he spoke. Eyes fluttered closed, Bella found herself drifting in and out of consciousness as the smooth baritone of his voice washed over her ("…she was my secretary…together for a year before I proposed…"), she could only focus on the warmth of Edward's fingers and the dangerous idea that she was possibly wanted – _desired_ by another man that'd formed in the back of her mind.

The freckles, as it turned out, didn't even come close to resembling Orion, but rather something Edward dubbed a "griaffephant", and he printed his name in all caps underneath the warped creature before snapping a picture of the masterpiece.

_:The Camelot Hotel:_

"_Have you checked your email_…?"

Tires screeching, the SUV whipped into the driveway and the slam of the car door quickly followed.

What Mike Newton always wanted out of life was a series of relatively simple pretenses: to run the family business so well his father – wizened and nursing home bound – would be forced to admit the son he'd had such little faith in had surpassed him in every way, to have the largest house on the block (nicest lawn accolades from housing committees, elaborate outside decorations on all appropriate Christian holidays that sparked wonder in neighborhood kids and envy in their parents), and to marry the sweetest, prettiest woman he could find who was not adverse to having his dinner waiting on the table, and bearing him 2.5 lovely children.

"_My husband and your wife…there's pictures…_"

His world being perceived as perfect by everyone else was far more important than it actually being that way, and the idea it could all fall apart made him sick.

"Bella!" he shouted upon entering the house and was greeted with the sight of Leah Clearwater walking in through the back door.

"What are you doing here?!"

Leah gave him a withering glance. "Well, according to my parents vehicles are earned, not given. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Where's my wife?" Mike trailed hotly behind the teen as she headed into the kitchen.

"Look, Big M – I didn't exactly haul Mrs. Newton into an interrogation room, she said she needed a sitter for a couple hours, so I showed. I just popped inside to get Ava a juice box, but since you're here, I'll collect my car fund and be on my merry way." When he didn't respond, merely paced back and forth pulling at the ends of his hair, Leah sighed heavily and grabbed a Capri Sun from the refrigerator. "Or, I'll just stay put until Mrs. Newton gets back. I swear everyone in this neighborhood is like a fucking Alan Ball character."

The unpleasant whir of a cell phone pulsing against a hard surface caused Mike to abruptly stop in his tracks, and he cast steel blue eyes in the direction of the kitchen island where Bella's phone vibrated on the marble countertop.

**

In the final act of Bella and Edward's revenge play, Room 252 at the Camelot Hotel was rented out, the stage was dressed with drippy candles and half-full champagne glasses, and the costumes for the two leads amounted to nothing more than a bra and panty set, and a pair of boot cut jeans.

A collective breath was held while racy positions for the eye of the camera were assumed, and when the last scene was shot, there was reluctance in the pair to slip out of their roles.

It began with the simple act of tucking an arrant strand of hair behind Bella's ear; Edward's hand lingered against her cheek and she watched his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed. "You have become the best part of my day."

It progressed to her lips trailing labored kisses along his jaw line before nimble fingers began working down zippers and undoing claps. With one leg now securely hitched around his waist Edward moved her panties to the side. "Are you sure you want this?"

From the moment she sat down in that diner, Bella Swan was done with small town logic, with Rockwell paintings, and pinning all of her hopes to a marriage license. This man may never want to read the Sunday paper, he could become physically ill at the sight of a minivan, and find phrases like "make love" to be the height of cheese; none of it mattered.

She no longer wanted the white knight and his illusion of glossy, unattainable perfection.

A low moan was the only answer Edward needed; smiling, he put his mouth to Bella's ear and whispered, "Good because I intend on making you come so hard, Newton will feel it."

It ended in exhausted, sweat-slicked bodies and a mass of tangled sheets. While he slept soundly, Bella busied herself with an email to Mrs. Cullen, and sent a text message to her own cell.

**

Mike remained rooted to the same spot in the kitchen. He couldn't move. He couldn't think beyond the words on the phone's screen:

_I want a divorce_.


	14. Heartthrob

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Worship**

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Edward and Bella

Summary: In which Edward tries to be humble. Takes place within Twilight.

_**Heartthrob **_

Expression number three (the: Bella, I've been reminded that you're seventeen) settled onto his face. "I think you're exaggerating just a bit."

She snickered, "Oh please. _You_ can actually hear their thoughts; you know you're like the number one masturbatory fantasy of every girl at this school."

"Masturbatory?" His face scrunched. "Way to be crude, Bella."

"Sorry; girls don't masturbate." She added, straight faced, "We also don't poop."

He rolled his eyes. "Alright some do have crushes, but I'm hardly worshipped."

Over his shoulder Bella watched as a classmate lovingly stroked a picture of Edward taped to her locker door.


	15. Stray Dog

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Raindrops**

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Jacob

Summary: In which Jake receives a little kindness. Takes place between Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

_**Stray Dog**_

"Why so sad, brown eyes?"

Any sane person would've died of shock at the sight of a giant wolf loitering around their back porch, but this girl acted as if she'd come across her grandmother's poodle.

Maybe she wasn't the sharpest crayon in the box. Or, maybe he just looked that pitiful.

"Wanna keep me company tonight?"

After months without it, Jake was surprised by how much he'd missed human contact, so he settled in next to her. She scratched behind his ears and didn't mind his wet fur. He guessed she just wanted someone to watch the rain with.


	16. Ribbed for Her Pleasure

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Touch**

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Edward and Bella

Summary: In which safe sex is always best. Takes place during the honeymoon in Breaking Dawn.

_**Ribbed for Her Pleasure**_

Edward's fingers on her bare skin were indescribably amazing. The real thing surpassed the fevered fantasies that had kept Bella awake and utterly frustrated for the last three years. She never wanted him to stop touching her.

So, why wasn't he touching her? "Why aren't you touching me?" she breathed.

"I should grab a condom." Edward reached for the nightstand. Off of her look he added, "They have some sort of _warming_ sensation, it's supposed to enhance your experience. Plus it's always better to be safe."

"Being undead is the best form of birth control. I doubt we'll need it."


	17. PS I Hope You're Happy

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Sour**

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Jacob

Summary: In which Jacob lets it all out. Takes place within Eclipse.

_**P.S., I Hope you're Happy**_

_Dear Bella,_

_Fuck you. Fuck your bloodsucker. Fuck your twisted fairytale romance and all of the happiness you expect it'll bring. When that bastard breaks your heart (and don't delude yourself into thinking it won't happen again, Princess), I won't be there to glue you back together. _

_I won't be your shoulder to cry on. I won't be your ear to talk off. I won't be your sun. _

_I'm looking to forget you ever existed, I suggest you do the same. _

_Jake_

Crumpled and wastebasket bound, he quickly worked on the letter he'd actually have the guts to send.


	18. Catch and Release

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Stagnant **

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Renee and Charlie

Summary: In which Renee decides she's had enough. Pre-Twilight.

_**Catch and Release**_

The days were measured out in diner milkshakes, fishing trips, and college football games, and though Charlie Swan had never shown himself to be anything other than a creature of habit, she had hoped being tethered to her side would open up the scope of his world.

It hadn't, and only ended up proving marriage to be an unsuccessful avenue for changing the foundation of your partner's character traits.

So, Renee locked herself in their bathroom and practiced her words very carefully in front of the mirror. The "I love you, but I'm done" speech required a lot of rehearsal.


	19. Through the Fire and Flames

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Juvenile **

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Emmett and Edward

Summary: In which Emmett appeals to his brother's competitive nature.

_**Through the Fire and the Flames**_

"Don't even start with me, Em…"

There were three words in the English language Emmett longed to hear, and they were 'don't even start'. The phrase was a symphony to his ears that issued a silent challenge of annoyance he was willing to win.

"You're just mad because you don't stand a chance."

"You want to be a child, and I'm not going to indulge you."

Emmett sniffed. "Do you smell that? It smells like pussy in here."

"You, me, and DragonForce on expert right now!" Edward growled.

Emmett laughed; getting Edward to play _Guitar Hero_ was almost too easy.


	20. Pacifier

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Light**

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Bella and Renesmee

Summary: In which Bella discovers a new way to deal with a cranky child.

_**Pacifier **_

The tears started around six that morning and hadn't bothered to let up since. They were accompanied by wails that ranged somewhere between _ear-splitting_ and _suicide-inducing_; today was not Nessie's day.

Her traitor husband had slipped out to "hunt", leaving Bella alone with their unhappy child. She'd made funny faces, blown tummy raspberries until her lips were numb, and turned on every dancey, musical toy they owned, but nothing worked.

Sighing, she picked Nessie up and sat on the nearby windowsill. The crying stopped the instant her skin shimmered in the sunlight, and Bella wished she'd thought of that earlier.


	21. While You were Sleeping

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Crave**

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Edward and Bella

Summary: In which Edward and Bella snuggle. Takes place in Twilight.

_**While You were Sleeping **_

"Stay? Just until I fall asleep."

Brown eyes and trusting smiles prove to be Edward's downfall and he concedes, allowing Bella to snuggle up and drown him in the scent of her blood.

She snores lightly and he ponders an afterlife; his numerous sins were covered up with good deeds and the passage of time, but his throat burns and his body wants to drain her until she's just a pallid shell of frozen terror and shrunken eyes. If he gives into the need, and if death finds a way to cheat immortality, Edward knows Jesus won't be so forgiving.


	22. Ravenous

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Voracious **

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Victoria and a newborn

Summary: In which someone is seeing the world through brand new eyes. Takes place in Eclipse.

_**Ravenous **_

The first time you're born, you're spat from the womb and into some fine physician's waiting mitts. Promptly after being de-slimed, you're passed over, christened and cooed at by the weary, haggard visage of your mother. Garbled voices discuss how they can't wait to see the person you'll become, but it barely registers.

You're hungry.

Your second birth is less clinical, and decidedly more painful. Veins harden and bones break, and when your eyes open, an angel with a halo of fiery hair greets you.

Her smile is sarcastic. "Can you say 'mama'?"

You're hungry. Some things don't ever change.


	23. Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Plea**

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Edward, Charlie, and Bella

Summary: In which Edward and Charlie do some bonding. Takes place some time after Edward's return in New Moon.

* * *

_**Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition **_

Bella is mostly amused. She takes in Edward's puffy vest and his bucket hat artfully decorated with fishing lures, and she thinks it's the cutest thing she's ever seen. She appreciates the effort he's put into this more than he'll ever know, but she's sure her father's reaction will be less kind.

Charlie will think he's being a dick.

"It's not too late, you know. I can tell him that you're sick or something," she offers in one last attempt to save her boyfriend from the firing squad.

Edward gives her stoic face; if he's at all nervous, he doesn't let on. "I'll be fine."

"Okay," Bella sighs and pats his cheek, "but it's your funeral."

Boots thudding heavily against stairs signals Charlie's arrival and she straightens her posture and makes sure to put on a wide smile. "Good morning, dad."

True to form, the Chief is all grumbles and withering looks. "Bells, you're up early." He doesn't even bother greeting Edward, simply skirts around him and pulls a beer from the refrigerator.

Bella frowns, but Edward has the manners and patience of a saint. "Morning, Chief Swan. I brought along a radar so even if they have other ideas, the fish can't possibly get away."

Charlie cuts his eyes and sips his beer. "Did you hear that, Bells? He brought a fish radar."

As she sees them out the door, Bella makes a mental note to subject her dad to an afternoon of the silent treatment. She's quite certain he'll have earned it.

**

Naturally when he'd suggested accompanying Charlie on one of his many fishing expeditions, Bella had thought he'd lost his goddamn mind. Ever since their return from Italy, Edward Cullen had become public enemy number one in the Swan household; a distinction that earned him supervised visits with a strict 9pm closing time. After two months of this treatment, they'd both began to feel like prisoners and were desperate to put an end to it. The only thing Edward could think of was to try and ingratiate himself with the Chief; show an interest in one of his limited hobbies, and hopefully out of that effort, the man would come to understand he never intended to hurt his daughter ever again.

Not two words pass between them as they float amid dense fog on the lake, but not for Edward's lack of trying. He introduces several topics from the SuperSonic's latest performance to episodes of _Cops_, and gets nothing but daunting silence in return.

Frustrated, he decides to go for broke anyway. "Chief, I understand you're angry with me – hell, I honestly can't stand to live with myself after what I've put Bella through, but I want you to know that I never set out to hurt her; and you have my word, sir, for as long as she wants me in her life, I'll never make her cry again. I know it's too much to ask for your forgiveness, but I do hope that in time you'll come to see that I love Bella just as much as you do."

Charlie keeps his eyes on the red and white bobbing lure. "Let's get something straight, kid; I don't like you. You could spend your free time helping old ladies across the street, you could save a sack of kittens from drowning, or pull a family of five out of a burning building and I _still_ wouldn't like you. This isn't a simple case of 'making Bella cry', I lived through four months of my little girl screaming in the middle of the night and I was powerless to stop it. So, until Bells finally wises up and cuts you loose, I will tolerate your presence, but don't ever fool yourself into thinking you've earned anything from me."

Edward swallows the rather painful lump in his throat and shifts uncomfortably on the bench. He walked into this knowing it wouldn't be easy, but he never expected Charlie to break out the thumbscrews.


	24. She's so Lucky

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Mirror **

Pen name: Dee12

Characters: Jessica, Lauren, Edward

Rating: T

Summary: In which Jessica gets her wish. Twilight AU

* * *

_**She's so Lucky**_

"Ooh, eyelash! Make a wish, biatch."

Her bedroom is littered with the evidence of a massive sleepover: a pile of dvds (of the Johnny Depp variety), half eaten bowls of popcorn, candy wrappers, and makeup and hair supplies (from a failed, but hilarious attempt to create the perfect "big ho" look). It's nearly three in the morning, and Jessica's exhausted enough to contemplate carving out a space amongst the garbage instead of making the daunting 2ft trek to the bed, but Lauren's like the goddamn _Machinist _or something – she just won't go to sleep.

Hazel eyes roll heavenward. "No, that's stupid. You're stupid and I'm going to bed."

Lauren makes sure to pout after she's socked her friend in the shoulder. "You're tired?!" she exclaims and feigns utter disbelief. "What're you like seventy now? I'll be sure to ask my nana to save you a seat at the Old Country Buffet."

"It's three in the morning, insane-o." Jessica yawns, stretches out like a cat and ends up smacking _Pirates of the Caribbean, 21 Jumpstreet, and Chocolat _across the room. She grumbles, "Besides, eyelash wishes are like so childish that I'm judging you way harshly right now."

"You suck," Lauren shakes her head. "Where's your sense of magic? You can't waste a free wish." Holding out the index finger with the tiny bit of her best friend's DNA on the tip, she tilts her head. "C'mon, Jesse; do it and I'll leave you alone. I'll just pop into the basement to perv on Jeremy while you sleep."

Jessica frowns. "Stay away from my brother."

"Alright," she laughs, "but you're still making a wish so get your ass up."

There's much huffing and she moves with the speed of a geriatric sprinter, but eventually Jessica's up. She sits back on the knees of her fluffy cloud pajamas and makes a point to roll her eyes as hard as possible. "I wish…"

Lauren immediately slaps her in the middle of the forehead.

"Ow!"

"Are you new? Don't say it out loud; it won't come true that way."

Sighing, she quickly runs a hand through her brown locks and straightens her posture. Maybe it's the mania from lack of sleep kicking in, but Jessica almost swears that dumb eyelash is _pulsing_…taunting her to take it seriously; she breathes in deeply, wracking her brain for something she'd want most in this world and then as if it were a fog clearing, every thought just sort of dissipates until only one remains:

_I wish I had Bella Swan's life_.

Jessica shuts her eyes and blows.

**

The alarm clock sounds promptly at 7:30 am and a hand snakes out from underneath the comforter to smack it into the 'off' position. Eyes stinging and curses rolling off of her tongue, Jessica swings her legs over the side of the bed; she's pissed at herself for forgetting to set the alarm to a more weekend friendly time (something a little less 'stupid-ass o'clock in the morning' and more like the crack of noon), and even angrier at her bladder for demanding she get up anyway.

She makes it a grand total of three steps before she pauses and whips her head back towards the bedside where Edward Cullen casually sits looking wide-awake and daisy fresh.

Jessica's only able to process two emotions: shock and terror.

She decides to go with terror and screams.

Edward's at her side in an instant, wrapping her up in his arms and Jessica futilely struggles against him.

"What the hell! How'd you get in here? What the fuck…!"

"Jessica, calm down!" He's got her at arms length and has the nerve to look totally exasperated as if she hadn't just caught him looming by her bed like a rapist. "What's wrong?"

Flustered she shouts, "What's wrong is you breaking and entering! My brother could bench press you, Cullen – just wait until I get him up here; man I'm gonna enjoy watching him kick your ass!"

His face splits with a wide grin. "Did you have a bad dream or something? I've never come under threat from being here before."

"You've done this _before_!" she shrieks and Edward sighs.

"Jessica, you know I love watching you sleep…"

And suddenly, it dawns on her. "Oh, um did you like watching Bella sleep?" she asks cautiously and he looks at her like she's a mental patient.

"Bella; Chief Swan's daughter? Why in the world would I care about that girl's banal activities?" Edward pecks her cheek. "I'm going to ask that next time you and Lauren do a sleepover that you go easy on the candy. Too much makes you loopy."

"Sure thing," Jessica chuckles uneasily as she inches towards the door. "I'm just gonna use the bathroom right quick and you'll…"

"Be here when you get back," he smiles.

"Cool," she nods and feels for the doorknob behind her. "Oh and um, Edward you might wanna hover over the heating vent; you kinda feel like the Arctic Circle."

**

"Oh my god. Oh my fucking god…!"

Once she's safely secure in the hallway, Jessica wastes no time in freaking out. She's pinched herself three times just to be certain, and since it hurt like Satan she's forced to acknowledge the impossible, bizarre truth –

She got her wish.

"What's going on up here? Mom thought you were being murdered." Her brother, Jeremy stands bleary-eyed at the top of the stairs and pushes a few wisps of his rumpled bed-head out of his face.

"Nothing, there was a spider," she lies and he snorts.

"All it takes is the bottom of a shoe; grow a pair would you, Jesse?"

"Where's Lauren?" she asks. Yeah, where's Lauren and her stupid, pulsating eyelashes…

Jeremy blushes. "She's asleep – in the basement."

She'll have to find time to vomit over the idea of her brother and her best friend later, right now all available focus has to go to Edward Cullen hanging out in her bedroom.

**

"You picked a stray eyelash off of my cheek, and practically forced me to make a wish! Don't you remember?"

Okay, so it turns out that when you're stuck in full on crisis mode, Lauren is the least helpful person on the planet. The only thing she offers Jessica as the poor girl pours her heart out is a bite of her Doritos.

"Are you sure you don't want any? They're cool ranch and you know these bitches won't be around much longer…"

"Can you focus for like two seconds?!" Jessica hisses. "This is _dire_."

"Fine, fine," Lauren says flatly, "yeah I remember the eyelash wish. What about it?"

She pauses for the right dramatic effect. "It came true."

"Shut up," Lauren snickers and off of Jessica's grave expression her eyes widen to comically huge proportions. "_Shut. Up! _What did you wish for?!"

"It's so stupid…" embarrassed, she puts her head down on the cafeteria table, "I wished for Bella Swan's life."

Lauren smirks. "You wished to have the grace of a newborn horse?" She gives a sarcastic shrug of her shoulders, "I would've went with a million dollars, but your's is good too."

"Listen, just last week Bella was arm-and-arm with Edward Cullen, and yesterday I wake up with him in my bedroom."

This gets a raised eyebrow. "Are you kidding me? Edward's crazy about you and Bella's not even a blip on his radar – there's no way she wrapped a body part around him without you clawing her eyes out. Remember what we talked about sweetie, how that _incense _in Jer's room isn't _really_ incense…"

"I'm not high!" Jessica snaps.

Lauren spots the man in question heading their way and pops a chip in her mouth. "Look, I don't know what you're on, but when it passes do me a favor – give your super hot boyfriend a beej, and thank god for making you the luckiest human being in the world."

**

They weren't exactly the words of a sage, but Lauren had a point and so Jessica decides to stop being completely weirded out by the situation and embraces the fantasy until the eyelash fairy declares she's had enough.

She comes to learn a few things about the formerly mysterious Edward: 1) that first morning in her bedroom wasn't a fluke, the guy shows up every night and he always feels like a blast of air from the icebox in her garage, 2) he seems to love throwing around big words she's never heard of and sometimes talks like her Grandpa Ray; it's a little irritating (especially when he acts as if he's her elder instead of just another kid in her biology class), but whatever she can deal, and 3) he's not keen on copping feels underneath clothes…

like, _at all_.

"C'mon, Jessica," Edward sighs for the millionth time and removes her hand from his belt buckle for the millionth-and-one. "We talked about this."

"Can I get a refresher?"

He mistakes her earnestness for sarcasm and frowns deeply. "We both agreed to wait until our wedding night; your virtue's very important to me."

She tries pulling her lips in tight, but it doesn't work and Jessica ends up laughing to the point of tears in her eyes. "Was I drunk when I agreed to that? I'm like half a virgin…"

His mouth opens and closes like a fish. "Which half?!"

**

"The Newtons invited us all to go white water rafting this weekend; it's gonna be totally amazing, are you in?"

Edward's doing it again, he's giving her "Grandpa Ray face" and she half expects his next sentence to begin with "Young lady".

"Don't you think that's a little dangerous?"

Jessica picks at the bit of grime in between her fingernails. "Yeah, well it's like a once in a lifetime opportunity or whatever, but I guess it's cool if you skip out."

"I'm asking you not to go," he tells her sternly.

"…I don't remember seeking out your permission."

"I'm just trying to keep you safe, Jessica."

Her mind immediately goes back to this conversation when Saturday morning rolls around and she finds her engine block on the outside of her car.

**

"You're staying?"

Edward nods and stretches out on top of her bed spread. "Unless it's a problem?"

"No, no problem at all," she smiles forcefully. "I'm just gonna go freshen up; I'll be right back."

When the door shuts behind her, Jessica leans all of her weight against it and exhales a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. If she has to pluck every last eyelash out of her head, she's getting rid of Edward Cullen _tonight_.

Bella Swan can have him.


	25. Go West Young Man, Let the Evil Go East

The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: **Erosion **

Pen name: Dee12

Character: Carlisle

Summary: In which Carlisle is in search of salvation. Pre-Twilight.

_**Go West Young Man, Let the Evil Go East**_

If the soul exists, he knows his has worn away. The beautiful, fragile thing man believes makes him special in the eyes of the gods and the masters could never hold under the weight of such treachery. With every vein torn open by his teeth, with every bone crushed by the force of his hands, a grain of his soul drifts into the ether and he's scared to death of what it'll leave behind.

Carlisle commits the plaque to memory: _Give me your tired, your poor,__your huddled masses yearning to breathe free_… and dares to hope salvation lies ahead.


End file.
